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Jacques Cartier was born in 1491 in Saint-Malo, a port on the north coast of the duchy of Brittany, which would later become incorporated to France in 1532. Cartier was part of a respectable family of mariners also improved his social status in 1520 by marrying Marie Catherine des Granches, member of a leading ship-owning family.

In 1534, Jacques Cartier set sail hoping to discover a western passage to the wealthy markets of Asia. He explored parts of Newfoundland starting on May 10 of that year, and what are now the Canadian Atlantic provinces, and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. On one stop at Iles-aux-Oiseaux, his crew slaughtered around 1000 birds, most of them great auks, which are now extinct.


When Jacques Cartier sailed up St. Lawrence River in 1535, he was looking for a way to China. He was not the first visitors to Canada's east coast .The Vikings were there long before him - in the 10th century . Fisherman from different parts of Europe came in the15th century. But when Cartier found the entrance to the St.Lawrence and sailed up the river, he forund an easy way to the interior of this great land. On his trip up the river he saw whales and walruses - fish that look like horses and go on land at night ,as he described the walruses . There are still a few whales in the river , but no longer any walruses.

After Cartier came settlers from France , England, other parts of Europe. Some stayed on small farms by the river ,others moved on to the interior where they hunted and traded with the Indians for furs. Many settled in the tons Quebec and Montreal . Until 1759 both England and France claimed this land. The English finally won this dispute in battle near Quebec , a battle in which the England and French commanders both died.

For a long time ships that carried people and good up the St.Lawrence could go only as far as Montreal because of the dangerous rapids there. In 1959 the first big ships went thought a long channel that bypassed the rapids and went on to the river to the Gerat Lakes.As these ships sail by the beautiful Thousand Islands ( actually 1,800) their passengers can see many attractive summer cottages where people are enjoying themselves, happy to be away from the big cities a few weeks.


Saint Lawrence River

The Saint Lawrence River ( In French: Le Fleuve Saint - Laurent ) is a large south west-to-north east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is called Kaniatarowanenneh ("big waterway") in Mohawk. It traverses the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and forms part of the provincial boundary between Quebec and Ontario and part of the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and the U.S. state of New York.